Traveling-cable grip.



No. 642,255. Patented Jan. 30, |900.

E. I. PARSONS..

TRAVELING'CABLE GRIP.

(Application ledNov. 7,l 1899.)

Darren draft-ns Parleur Ormes.

FDWTARD I. PARSONS, OF SAN llltANOISOO, CALIFORNIA.

THAVELlNG-CABLE GRIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,255, dated January 80, 1900.

Application filed November 7, 1899. Serial No. 736,110. (No model.)

To tlf wwnt it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD I. PARSONS, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Franciscotate of California, have invented an Improvement in Traveling-Cable Grips; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a gripping apparatus which is especially designedfor use in conjunction with aerial traveling ropeways in which the load is suspended from trolleys travcling upon a stationary cable and moved by means of a grip connected with the trolleyframe and adapted to be closed upon a traveling cable.

My invention consists of a novel mechanism by which the grip is closed, said mechanism being actuated by gravitation, so as to grip the cable when the weight is suspended, and means for releasing` it when it is desired to stop the movement of the load.

It also comprises details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of the grip, the fulllines showing the grip suspended from the short supporting-rail, the dotted lines when od the rail and on the supporting-cable. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line o oo of Fig. l. Fig. is a similar View on line 'y y of Fig. l.

In the drawings, A is a fixed supporting track or cable, and D is a traveling cable through which motion is transmitted to move a load which is supported by trolleys from the xed cable.

O represents a rail or support upon which the whole load is transferred whenever it is desired to disen gage it from the traveling rope.

D D are the grooved trolleys,adapted to rest and travel upon the stationary rope. These trolleys are mounted upon axles or pins d, upon or with which they turn, and these pins are carried in a frame E, which is guided by and movable vertically upon the bar or hanger F.

The wheels or trolleys G are journaled upon a support H, which is fixed upon the upper end of the hanger F, and they are adapted to run upon the rails O when the weight of the load is to be supported free from the rope A. Then these wheels G run off the short rail C, the whole weight of the load is supported upon the rope A. The load itself is suspended by any suitable hanger or carrier from the shaft I, which is here shown passing through the frame E and through a slotf in the hanger F.

One of the gripping-jaws J is fixed by bolts or rivets, as shown, and the other jaw J is movable transversely with relation to the jaw J. This jaw J is guided and movable through a slotj in the lower end of the hanger F, as here shown, and through it is made a screwthread of sharp pitch. A corresponding screw is turnable in this nut, and the screw-shank K has fixed upon its outer end a short rockerarm L. O is a rod connecting` the outer end of this rocker-arm with the hanger-shaft I, so that when the latter is moved by the weight upon it it acts to turn the rocker-arm L and the screw-shaft K, which, being journaled in the fired jaw J, will act to advance the jaw J and cause it to grip the rope or cable passing between the jaws. This gripping force upon the cable continues as long as the weight is supported from the trolleys D; but whenever the rollers G run upon the stationary supporting-rail C they raise the trolleys D out of contact with the carrying-rope A, and thus allow the parts to move with relation to each other, so that the rocker-arm L is turned in the direction to reverse the movement of the screw-shaft K and retract the grippingjaw J upon it until the grip is released from the traveling cable B, when the load will become stationary and be supported upon the rail C. As soon as the pulleys G move off the rail O the weight will be transferred through the trolleys D to the rope A, and this transfer again acts to turn the screw and cause the jaws J J to again grip the traveling rope or cable B, when the load will be moved in unison therewith.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a suspended rope or cable tramway, the combination with the framework and the supporting trolleys, of a slidable hanger guided by said framework, a fixed grippingjaw carried by said hanger, a movable jaw carrying a screw-threaded nut, a screw jour- IOO naled and turnable through said nut, a rocker- Aarm connected with the screw-shaft and connections between said rocker-arm and the sliding body, and a traction-cable adapted to be locked between said jaws.

2. In a suspended rope or cable tramway, trolleys journaled in a framework adapted to travel upon the cable, a sliding body guided by said framework, a stationary jaw fixed to said sliding body, a jaw guided and movable Ytransversely with relation to the stationary jaw, a screw-shaft journaled and turnable through the stationary jaw having a screw-threaded portion fitting corresponding threads in the movable jaw, a rocker-arm xed to the screw-shaft, a rod or link connecting said rocker-arm with the sliding body whereby the movement of said sliding body relative to the supporting-trolley acts to turn the screw, and close or separate the grippingjaws.

3. The combination with a framework of the rolling mechanism of a carrier and a sliding body guided by said framework and supporting the trolley, of a transversely-movable and guided gripping -jaw having interior screw threads, a correspondingly threaded screw-shaft passing through said jaw and turnably journaled in suitable supports, a rocker-arm fixed to said screw-shaft and a link connecting said rocker-arm with the sliding body and a stationary gripping-jaw with relation to which the movable jaw is ad- Vanced or retracted and a traction cable adapted to be locked between said jaws or released therefrom by the movement of the gripping-jaw. p

4. The combination with the framework and supporting-trolleys and a cable upon which they travel, of a transversely-movable screw-actuated gripping mechanism, a traction-cable to which the apparatus is locked by said gripping mechanism, other wheels or trolleys fixed to the upper end of a body slidable with relation to the supporting-trolley framework, and a rail upon which said wheels are supported to remove the weight from the main cable and allow the grips to automatically unclose.

5. The combination in a suspended cable rope or railway, of a main stationary cable,

fixed rails, and raise the load from the main cable, a traveling cable situated below the main cable, a stationary and transverselymovable gri ppin g-j aw between which the traveling cable is gripped, a screw turnable through the movable jaw, to advance it toward or retract it from the stationary jaw, a rocker-arm upon the end of the screw-shaft and a rod connecting the said rocker-arm with the hanger, whereby the jaws are closed to grip the cable when the load is carried upon the trolleys of the main cable, and released and separate when the load is carried upon the fixed upper rails. y

6. VIhe combination in a suspended rope or cable tramway,of a traveling or traction cable, a main supporting-cable situated above the traveling cable, rails fixed intermittently at stopping-stations and above lthe main supporting cable, a framework with trolley- Wheels journaled therein adapted to travel upon the main cable, a hanger guided and slidable with relation to said framework having rollers journaled at the upper end adapted to be received upon the upper fixed rails and transfer the weight of the load thereto from the main supporting-cable, a stationary and movable gripping-jaw carried by the hanger, a screw-threaded shaft fitting corresponding threads in the movable jaw,a rockerarm fixed to said screw-shaft and a connecting-rod between said4 rockerarm and the hanger whereby the screw is actuated to close the jaws upon the traveling cable when the weight is carried upon the main supportingcable and to separate the jaws and to release the gripped rope when the weight is transferred to the fixed rails.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

EDWARD I. PARSONS.

l/Vitnesses:

S. H. NoUnsn, .Tassin C. BRODIE. 

